


I Propose We Do It the Old Fashioned Way

by FrozenMemories



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Post canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-12
Updated: 2020-09-12
Packaged: 2021-03-06 21:35:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,222
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26425750
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FrozenMemories/pseuds/FrozenMemories
Summary: Set after the show, this is the epilogue I'm sure the writers are not going to give us.Whatever happens, these two deserve a happy ending so here it is.
Relationships: Eric Jackson/Nathan Miller
Comments: 12
Kudos: 15





	I Propose We Do It the Old Fashioned Way

"Hey Nate, wait up," Jackson calls after his partner's retreating backside, "Are you going to the lake?"

"Where else would I go?" Nathan grins.

It's become a habit for him to go for a swim at the end of a day filled with hard labor. There's still a lot to build and rebuild in their new old home but they've made a lot of progress over the months. Ordinarily, Jackson prefers to rest his feet instead of enganging in more physical exertion, but today he has different ideas.

"Can I join you?"

The smile that lights up Nate's face is exactly the answer he expects.

"I'll be right there," he announces and goes to grab what he needs.

The walk down to the lakeside is short, one of the things they both love about their new accomodation - another is that it's a place for just the two of them; no more sharing rooms and sacrificing privacy.

The lake, of course, isn't theirs alone. In the far distance he can see a flock of three heads dunk in and out of the water but he can't quite make out who it is. Nathan doesn't seem to care either, he's already pulling his shirt up over his head and flings it to the ground carelessly. His pants soon follow suit.

Jackson busies himself with his own clothes.

He grins at Nate's bare ass, preferring to keep his own underwear on, even if it clings uncomfortably to his skin once it's soaked in the cool lakewater - he doesn't trust whatever creepy crawlers and fish may live in these depths. Nate keeps telling him he's brave but this is not the occasion to prove that statement true.

Nathan's usual routine consists of several laps of crawling out past the middle of the lake and back, sometimes for as long as an hour. But he gladly adapts his habits for his present company, wading in slowly and holding a patient hand out for Jackson to follow him, while fondly regarding every tentative step Jackson takes into the water.

He's never going to be a keen swimmer but Nate doesn't mind.

"Come on, Jacks," he calls out, hands playfully shoveling splashes of cold in Jackson's direction. Instinctively Jackson's arms lift to shield himself.

"Stop that," he chides, laughing.

Once he's caught up to Nate he reaches for the attacking hands in order to still them. Not half as skilled in combat though, he doesn't stand a chance against Nate's speed and agility - but this is no battle and Nate has no intention to harm him. Instead his hands reach across the remaining distance to grab Jackson by the hips and pull their bodies together.

"I'm glad you joined me today," he mumbles between kisses, voice smooth and low. Jackson almost doesn't feel cold anymore. That is until Nathan uses his distracted state of mind to tug him forward so they both lose their balance and land in the water with a splash.

Jackson lets out a shriek of surprise and then sputters out some water.

"That was uncalled for," he complains, shaking out his short hair as a shiver - not a pleasant one - jolts through him.

"No, that was fun," Nate retorts with a grin that makes it impossible for Jackson to be mad at him. Playfully he swats at Nathan's arm and tries to pout but the corners of his mouth twist up into a smile on their own volition.

"Sometimes I wonder why I put up with you," he mutters, with as little heat as the lake possesses.

"I'm handsome and you love me," Nathan deadpans - and he is absolutely right, Jackson has to admit.

"There you go," he concedes.

They dabble in the shallows for a while, never swimming too far out. Despite the progress he's made due to Nathan's patient coaching Jackson has yet to venture out into areas beyond where he can still touch his feet to the ground. He's not quite able to keep up with Nathan's pace anyway, although he's avidly trying.

It's early enough for the sun to still be out but Jackson gradually feels the chill of the water creep into his bones. His attempts at covering his discomfort are futile - Nathan has know him for almost a decade now, he can see right through him.

"You're shivering, Jacks. Lets get you back to shore."

The warmth Nathan's eyes radiate easily reaches Jackson's heart but doesn't manage to permeate all the way down to his feet. The idea was not to spoil Nate's fun though, so Jackson grits his teeth and insists he's fine. Nate gives him _the look_ but agrees to stay in the water and finish his regular workout while Jackson hurries back to their stuff.

He hastily sheds his soaked underwear and towels off so he can put his clothes back on. Dry at last he slowly feels the blood circulating through his extremities again. There's little he wouldn't do for Nate but as fun as his partner is trying to make it, he'll never be as enthusiatic about swimming as Nate is.

A smile lights up his face as he sits down to watch Nathan's strong arms break through the surface of the water and gracefully dive back in, effectively advancing his body further and further from the shoreline.

He's watched him do this enough to know there's no reason to worry but his anxiety does not adhere to reason or logic; his heartrate won't slow down until Nate's back on the grass with him. In the meantime he's doing his best to just enjoy the view.

As they often do, Jackson finds his thoughts wandering. He doesn't think about the bunker much these days, or anything further in the past. So much has happened since they've left Earth, thinking it was destroyed for good, that it feels like a whole lifetime has passed now that they're back. And effectively it has - only they haven't been awake to experience it.

Waking from cryosleep, in retroscpect, felt like starting over. If only they'd had the chance to keep true to their intentions - to do better. Instead they caused a war. Not technically them, it was a string of unfortunate and unforseeable factors that ultimately compiled to more violence and heavier losses than anything else since the deathwave had.

His heart is still heavy thinking about Abby. Kane. Bellamy.

He also remembers how lonely he felt without Nate, how afraid he was. Flashbacks and nightmares still haunt him, his subconscious unwilling to trust this peace.

But he actively forces his senses to take it all in - the gentle rustle of leaves in the wind, the warm rays of sunlight on his skin, the incredible blue of the sky and the greenish hue of the rippling surface of the lake. He can smell the grass around him, feel the softness of the earth. And out there, steadily making his way back to him, is Nate - his anchor through all of the hardship. As long as they're together they can weather anything.

Nate approaches from the water, gloriously naked and with sure and steady steps. He must be cold, Jackson can see goosebumps rising on his arms and chest when Nate is close enough to bend down and kiss him, sloppily dripping lakewater onto the blanket Jackson's spread out for them.

He shoves a towel at him and tells him to watch out. Nate takes it with a grin. He doesn't seem in a hurry to get dry - or dressed - and Jackson doesn't see a point in spurring him on.

"What's all this stuff?" Nate asks, towel raised to wipe the wetness from his head and neck.

Jackson smiles up at him fondly and shrugs.

"Swimming makes you hungry," he states as if it was no deal at all that he brought fruits and bread and a bottle of homebrew, secretly stashed into his bag earlier, and set up a picnic for them. And really, it wasn't that much of an effort, but Nate still seems impressed.

"This is... you're so sweet."

Nate plants another kiss on Jackson's lips, lingering a moment before he pulls away and grabs for his pants.

"What's the occasion? Did I miss my own birthday?"

He pops a berry into his mouth and smirks. It could very well be so, for all they know. Between traveling across space, experiencing time dilation and 125 years of cryosleep, nobody kept track of the old Earth's Roman calendar.

Jackson doesn't mention that. He simply smiles and shakes his head.

"Nope, just felt like having a picnic."

Nate kisses him again, then turns to inspect the food laid out next to him.

He digs in greedily, making Jackson chuckle. The simple luxury of fresh foods, some picked from the woods, some cultivated in their garden, isn't something either of them would ever take for granted, but Nate's childlike enthusiasm over the ability to choose from an almost abundant supply is more than endearing.

This time it's Jackson's turn to lean in for a kiss.

As they pass the homebrew back and forth between them they watch the sun disappear behind the trees.

Nate settles his head snugly in Jackson's lap and starts playing with the hand he's gently placed atop Nate's chest.

"This is perfect," he muses after a long stretch of comfortable silence. Jackson catches his smile and returns it full force. There's one more thing he's planned for tonight and now just might be the time.

"Not quite," he says, mind racing in search for the right transition.

Nate raises a questioning eyebrow at him, "Something up?"

He looks concerned as Jackson fiddles with the fabric of Nate's shirt, suddenly questioning his plan.

"No," he quickly provides. He can't say if he's trying to reassure Nate or himself, "I've just been thinking a lot."

The frown gently fades into a smile.

"When aren't you?"

Jackson huffs and shakes his head. Nate does have a point.

"What is it?" he asks and sits up.

"I have something for you."

Jackson reaches into his pocket, fingers suddenly unsteady.

_It's just Nate._

"I thought it wasn't my birthday?" The joke makes him chuckle and soothes some of his nerves.

_It's just Nate. He won't think it's silly._

He should say something.

_It's just Nate._

"Is that a-," The question is left hanging in the air as Nathan takes hold of Jackson's open palmed hand and stares as the golden ring nestled in it.

"Back in the days people used it to-,"

Realization settles on Nate's face while Jackson clumsily fumbles for words.

"Nathan. We've been through so much together and I honestly wouldn't have made it through any of it without you," he starts only for Nate to interrupt him with gentle protest.

"Jacks, if anything it's you who pulled me through. You're so much stronger-,"

Jackson cuts him off with a finger to his lips.

"Shh, I have a speech planned." Nervous laughter erups from his throat and Nathan smiles, then briefly kisses his fingertip.

He takes a deep breath and tries again, "Nate, I know that a lot of things have changed, our society, our way of life. Marriage isn't really a common concept anymore but I really like the notion behind it..." he trails off, because these aren't the words he's composed before, shakes his head and bites down on his bottom lip. "Anyway, I've been thinking about this for so long, waiting for the right moment but it never seemed like the moment would come but now we're here and I was looking at the ring today and I just knew and damn... I forgot what I wanted to say."

Nate's hand is warm against his, thumb soothingly stroking across his wrist. He's patient, calm, while Jackson is making a fool of himself.

"I think you were going to ask me something?" he provides with his usual unwavering sass.

They share face splitting grins and Jackson knows he's made the right choice. _This is Nate. He'd never think this was silly._

"Nate," he starts with renewed confidence, "I love you so much. You've been my partner, my lover and my best friend for so long now. You've never strayed from my side. I - I've been thinking about this on the darkest days in the bunker. I've dreamed of being here with you one day, of watching the sunset and seeing you happy. It's what kept me going. You're what kept me going."

He's choking up but he's determined to do this properly.

"Jacks..." Nate's voice cracks.

He takes the ring out of his palm, then uses the other hand to hold onto Nate's and turn it over, singling out his ring finger.

"Will you accept this ring as a symbol of my love? Of our union?"

Nate's quiet but lifts his finger, beckoning him to slide the ring onto it.

"Are you crying?" Jackson asks, astonished by the unusual lack of a verbal response.

Nate wipes at a stray tear but quickly composes himself.

"Do I get to call you my husband?" he asks with a blinding grin.

Jackson laughs and nods his head ecstaticly until Nate frames his face with both hands, stilling the movement and guiding their foreheads together.

"Yes," he says, voice heavy with emotion, "Yes, Eric Jackson, I will marry you."

**Author's Note:**

> I was going to have Nate ask about the ring and Jackson reveal that it was his mom's. It's the only thing he's held on to since the Ark. Niylah helped him resize it to fit Nate. Since I scratched it have this random piece of additional information as a headcanon.
> 
> Also this little exchange didn't make it to the fic:
> 
> "How'd you know the ring would fit?"
> 
> "Have you forgotten that I'm intimately familiar with your hands?"


End file.
